National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega Projects)

The goal of the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega Projects) program is to identify and award grant funding to transportation projects that will generate national or regional economic, mobility, and or safety benefits.

The National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega Projects) program will provide grant funding to highway, freight and intercity passenger rail, port projects, and the public transportation components of those projects, that generate safety, mobility, or economic benefits of national and regional significance. It is focused on projects in significant need of federal funding, with overall costs greater than $100 million. Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments, transportation authorities, or other subdivisions of state government.

Eligible applicants for Mega grants are: (1) a State or a group of States; (2) a metropolitan planning organization; (3) a unit of local government; (4) a political subdivision of a State; (5) a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority; (6) a Tribal government or a consortium of Tribal governments; (7) a partnership between Amtrak and 1 or more entities described in subparagraphs (1) through (6); and (8) a group of entities described in any of subparagraphs (1) through (7).

Eligible projects for Mega grants are: a highway or bridge project on the National Multimodal Freight Network; a highway or bridge project on the National Highway Freight Network; a highway or bridge project on the National Highway System; a freight intermodal (including public ports) or freight rail project that provides public benefit; a railway highway grade separation or elimination project; an intercity passenger rail project; a public transportation project that is eligible under assistance under Chapter 53 of title 49 and is a part of any of the project types described above. Mega grants may be used for development-phase activities and costs, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, alternatives analysis, data collection and analysis, environmental review and activities to support environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities, including the preparation of a data collection and post-construction analysis plan and construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of real property (including land relating to the project and improvements to that land), environmental mitigation (including projects to replace or rehabilitate culverts or reduce stormwater runoff for the purpose of improving habitat for aquatic species), construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment, protection, and operational improvements directly relating to the project.

There is not statutory period of availability for NIPA funding, however the Department will consider the proposed project schedule as part of the competitive selection process.

For MPDG programs, obligation occurs when a selected applicant enters into a written, project-specific grant agreement with the Department and is generally after the applicant has satisfied applicable administrative requirements, including transportation planning and environmental review requirements. Financial obligation, making funds available, occurs at the same time as the execution of the project-specific grant agreement.

The selection criteria for proposals are published in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

NIPA funding will be awarded to projects selected by the United States Department of Transportation through a competitive selection process. After an application is selected, the Department will work with the project sponsor to complete the necessary work prior to formally obligating the funding through an obligating agreement. The obligating agreement will establish the terms and conditions of the Mega Project award.

The FY 23-24 solicitation has an application deadline of 11:59:59 pm, Eastern Daylight Time, August 21, 2023.

The evaluation, selection, and notification timeline varies from 4-9 months.